8 Ways to Sunday

I had a strange dream some time early this morning about a group of Depression-era superheroes masquerading as carnival sideshow performers.

There were six of them, five that were obvious “freaks” and one who acted as the barker and manager of the group primarily because he could most easily pass as “normal.” There was Iron Man, the “world’s strongest human”; the Vanishing Lady; The Rubber Man (who stands out in my memory for looking like a gaunt and lanky apprentice undertaker in an ill-fitting Vaudeville costume); the Human Torch; and Impervio the Invulnerable.

The team made their way around the Dust Bowl, exercising their crime solving abilities and exacting vigilante justice. Despite their good intentions and heroic deeds, they were often met with a combination of awe and suspicion by the townsfolk.

For the curious, the last operating sideshow in America appears to be the Coney Island Circus Sideshow in Coney Island, NY. The focus, of course, has moved away from “human curiosities” and toward “made freaks” and performers.

Sounds like a decent plot for a story or comic. Has this been done before?

Update:

According to Boing Boing, P.T. Barnum’s “American Museum” — lost in an 1865 fire — has been put on the web. An interesting mix of oddities, fakes, showmanship, sensationalism and bullshit, the museum lived in the shadowland between 19th century superstition and the 20th century’s embrace of science. This combination was always a hallmark of Barnum’s style.

The site consists mostly of several large Flash movies, so those without broadband should be prepared for a wait. There are also many archived photos and documents to peruse with background on the museum and its exhibits. Along with the museum tour and background information, there’s also an interactive mystery: Barnum entrusts you with the key to the museum mere hours before the fire, asking you to investigate his fears that someone has a dire plot against the establishment.